3 Chest Exercises You Can Do With Just a Barbell (No Bench Required)
Summary
Jeff Cavaliere of ATHLEAN-X presents three barbell-based chest exercises that require no bench, using only a barbell wedged into a corner (a “landmine” setup). These exercises target key aspects of chest development, particularly horizontal adduction, which is essential for full chest contraction. They are designed as practical solutions for home training where equipment is limited.
Key Points
- All three exercises use a landmine setup — simply wedge a barbell into a corner of a room (use a drop cloth to protect the wall)
- No bench is required — body positioning and foot stance are used to replicate incline angles instead
- Horizontal adduction is emphasized as a necessary component of a fully contracted chest, and all three exercises target this movement
- Pushups alone are not sufficient for complete chest development at home — these exercises provide meaningful alternatives
- The exercises are especially useful for those who own a barbell but lack a bench or cable crossover machine
- Jeff recommends incorporating bench press as well if access to a bench becomes available, but these movements stand on their own as effective alternatives
Exercise Details
1. Landmine Barbell Incline Press
- Target muscles: Upper chest (incline angle emphasis)
- Setup: Barbell wedged in corner; adopt a split stance/lunge position, dropping the leg back on the same side as the pressing arm
- Form cues:
- The lunge stance angles the body back to achieve approximately a 60-degree incline
- The natural arc of the barbell reinforces the incline pressing path
- Foot position can be adjusted to modify the angle of press
- Common mistakes to avoid: Not angling the body back far enough, which reduces the incline effect
2. Landmine Cavaliere Crossover (Barbell Version)
- Target muscles: Inner and upper chest
- Form cues:
- Perform a smooth shoulder adduction arc using the barbell’s natural path
- The movement includes a slight upward lift at the top, creating an upper inner chest contraction
- Focus on feeling the squeeze at peak contraction
- Why it works: The barbell arc produces a fluid adduction pattern that mimics a cable crossover machine, which Jeff considers superior even to the dumbbell version of this movement
- Common mistakes to avoid: Losing the arc at the top and missing the inner chest contraction
3. Crush Grip Pushup (Barbell)
- Target muscles: Inner chest, mid-chest
- Setup: Place a weight plate on the end of the barbell to elevate it off the ground; grip the bar with a hand-over-hand grip
- Form cues:
- Actively crush the barbell between your hands throughout every rep — imagine using hedge clippers
- Allow elbows to flare out to the sides on the way down
- Squeeze hard as you press up to the top position
- The crushing action recreates horizontal adduction through the mid and inner chest
- Why it works: Standard pushups keep the hands fixed wide, preventing adduction. The hand-over-hand grip here allows the hands to move inward, generating the squeezing contraction
- Common mistakes to avoid: Letting the crush tension drop between reps; treating it like a standard pushup